Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1887-04-07
Correspondence Of the Beacon
WASHINGTON. April 4, 1887.

WASHINGTON, April 4, 1887.
Messrs Editors.-The Postmaster at
Washington, who has held Office ever
since the administration of President
Arthur, and drawn the lucrative sal
airy of $4,000 year, is getting very
uneasy lest in the early days Of the
spring he will lose his much sought
after position. The rumor is that the
President has instructed the Postmss-
ter General to inform him Of all the
Presidential postmasters holding over
from the last administration, with the
view Of calling for the designations of
the some $50 Republicans that their
places may be filed by good and
patient Democrats. There are over
9, 400 of these Offices within the gift of
the President, and the fact that all ex-
cept $50 are filled by sturdy Democrats
makes it look as if President Cleveland
is pretty good Democrat. no matter
what has been charged to the con-
trary.
The Interstate Commerce Commits
toner's are all here and have organized
by electing Judge Cooley, chairman.
The first thing they did after assem-
bling in our snow enveloped city, after
paying their respects to the Chief
Executive, was to call upon the Sec
ratary of the Interior and be sworn
into office. The Comptroller Of the
Treasury has ruled that no officer of
the Government can draw pay for the
office to which he is appointed until
he takes the prescribed oath to sup
port the Constitution Of the United
States, and so the Commissioners draw
pay from last Thursday, and not from
the time Of their appointment. Many
people are asking whether the Com
missioners will have to pay their rail
road fare out of their salaries, or will
have it paid out Of the appropriation
for the running expenses of the Com.
mission. The question is an impor-
tant one as the Commissioners will
have much travelling to do, and the
railway fare would be pretty big
item to take from the 81, 500 a year
salary. The best opinion seems to be
that it will be paid out of the appro-
priation for the expenses Of the Office.
Commissioner of Agriculture, Col.
man, has lust returned from Louisiana,
and is delighted with his reception
there and with the prospects OF an in
crease in the yield Of sugar. He says
that be never knew what Southern
hospitality was until his trip south.
He was dined and wined from the
time he entered the boundaries of the
Sunny South until he left them on his
return home. He says that if he is
as successful as he expects to be in the
experiments conducted under his di-
rection, the sugar trade of the country
will be revolutionized, and there will
be a saving of 40 per cent. by the
new diffusion process. When that
day comes We may expect to have not
more than ten per cent. Of adultera-
ton in our sugar, and there will be no
necessity of lighting for the annexation
Of Cuba.
There has been a very heavy dis.
charge in the Government Printing
Office this week necessitate partly by
the reduction in work since the ad
journment of Congress aud partly to
make room for appointments. The
discharges would have been made
earlier but for the fact that the EN-.
ployees have been paid monthly owing
to peculiar wording Of the law, which
forbids the Government Printer draw
ing money from the Treasury oftener
than once a month for the pay of the
printers, and as Congress did not ad-
journ until the 4th of March. the
force had to be kept until the end OF
the month, when the money could be
drawn to pay them. The discharged
men made about three weeks on Uncle
Sam in that way. Hereafter. under
an arrangement between the Govern.
nent Printer and the Comptroller Of
the Treasury the printers will be paid
every two weeks.
One day this week FIVE ducks were
found lying dead at the base Of the
Washington Monument. One Of them
was found cut nearly in two as ii
cleaved by razor. 1t is supposed
that the early morning being cloudy
the ducks lost their course and blindly
dashed against the monument with
such force as to be killed, and the one
found cut in two struck the platinum
point on the monument which cut ii
in twain. The oinithological branch
of the Agriculture Department has on
record numerous instances of birds
killed by dashing against lighthouses,
and has in its museum many rare
species Of birds killed in that way and
forwarded by tie lighthouse keepers
TO the Department, but the above is
the first known instance of birds or
fowls being killing by dashing agains,